Baete, Vavrova, Whittaker Honored by Big Ten

Nebraska’s Kirsten Baete, Megan Whittaker and Michaela Vavrova were mentioned among the Big Ten Women’s Golfers to Watch announced by the conference office in Rosemont, Ill., on Tuesday, Aug. 31.

The three Huskers were key elements in Nebraska’s Big Ten runner-up finish and an NCAA Regional appearance in the spring of 2021.

Baete, a fifth-year senior from Beatrice, Nebraska, finished 16th individually at the Big Ten Championship to help the Huskers to their best conference finish since 1984. She posted a 76.20 stroke average over 15 rounds last season. She also claimed the 2021 Nebraska Women’s Match Play title over the summer, after tying for 87th individually at the NCAA Columbus Regional. Also a standout in the classroom and the community, Baete is a three-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and a three-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar along with being a four-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Whittaker, who enters her fourth season in the Husker program, tied for 18th at the 2021 Big Ten Championship before tying for 69th at the NCAA Columbus Regional. The Elkhorn, Nebraska native managed a 78.56 stroke average over 18 rounds last season. A three-time WGCA Scholastic All-American, Whittaker is also a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a three-time member of the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.

Rounding out the Husker trio among the conference’s golfers to watch is Vavrova. The second-year standout from Bojnice, Slovakia, tied for 33rd at the Big Ten Championship before producing an impressive tie for 45th at the NCAA Columbus Regional. A two-time winner of the Slovak U18 Junior Championship and a member of the Slovak Elite National Team, Vavrova finished her first year at Nebraska with a 76.33 stroke average over 21 rounds. She fired 76 or better in 14 of her final 15 rounds of the 2021 spring season.

Coach Lisa Johnson and the Huskers open the 2021 fall season by traveling to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 13-14).